SPRINGFIELD, Mass. – For three years, the Monson girls soccer team has been a thorn in Mount Greylock’s side.
In Saturday afternoon’s Western Massachusetts Class title game, everything was coming up roses for the Mounties.
Mila Marcisz ripped a shot from the top of the 18 that slipped just under the swing of teammate Adele Low and past the Mustangs keeper in the fourth minute of the second overtime to give Mount Greylock a 1-0 win.
After the game, no one was quite sure who should get credit for the goal.
But everyone knew that a long history of post-season frustration had come to an end.
“This means everything,” Marcisz said. “For the seniors and the juniors, this is the fourth year in a row we’ve been in the finals. The third against the same team.
“And every time, we got so close. We just … We knew how much we wanted it, and it just pushed us further and further. And for it finally to happen, it’s just amazing.
“I can’t even, like, summarize it.”
The Mounties lost to Palmer in the final of the inaugural Western Mass regional tournament – the successor to the “old” Western Mass tourney with the advent of a statewide tournament that fall.
In 2022, Monson beat the Mounties twice in the playoffs – in the Western Mass final and, 11 days later, in the Division 5 State Tournament quarter-finals.
Last year, the Monson blanked Mount Greylock, 4-0, in the Western Mass title match at Agawam High School.
This time around, Mount Greylock, which gave up 11 goals in its last three games against the Monson, pitched a shutout on the Berte Field pitch.
It was the 11th shutout of the year for the Mounties (14-2-2) and certainly the sweetest of the bunch.
“[Monson’s] Hannah Murphy scored 44 goals this season, I mean, absolutely incredible player,” Mount Greylock coach Natalie Harris said. “I had watched some of their games, some highlights, and our goal was we had to keep her quiet. We had to try to close her down quickly. And she broke through our back line quite a few times.
“But I have to say, we have a solid back line. Pace for pace, Maire [Scanlon], Rowan [Apostos], they’re really quick too. And Molly Cangelosi stepped in on the back line for us today. She’s not usually one of our defenders, and I thought she had a fabulous game back there. I think, as a unit, we did our job keeping her quiet.”
Murphy made her presence known a couple of times on dangerous first half chances. In the 18th minute, Apotsos defended Murphy on a through ball up the middle, deflecting the ball out for a Monson corner kick. Mount Greylock keeper Mai O’Connor (three saves) caught the corner kick to end that threat.
With about five minutes left, Murphy took a shot that was blocked by a Mountie defender for another Monson corner.
For the most part, though, Mount Greylock had the bulk of the chances – outshooting Monson 7-1 in the first half and 12-3 in the game.
Mount Greylock generated its best chances of the first half with about two minutes to go..
First, Marcisz and Apotsos put pressure on the Monson backfield that resulted in a Mount Greylock corner that produced a Nora Lopez shot on goal. Moments later, Madison Powell’s pressure on the left wing led to another Mountie corner, this time ending in a shot on goal by Marcisz.
Early in the second half, Lopez worked a give-and-go with Marcisz that resulted in another shot on frame by Lopez.
A few minutes later at the other end, Murphy broke loose a counter for a shot on goal that forced O’Connor to make the toughest save of the match for either side with just more than 29 minutes left in regulation.
In the 77th minute, Apotsos made another play on defense to deny Murphy on a ball up the right wing. And Murphy rang a shot off the crossbar three minutes into the first overtime.
But it took 11 more minutes for the ball to find the back of the net, and, when it did, it was Mount Greylock that did the celebrating.
If Monson wants another shot at Mount Greylock in this year’s state tournament, it has to hope both teams reach the state semi-finals. The 11th-seeded Mustangs cannot face No. 10 Mount Greylock until the Division 5 Final Four.
For now, the Mounties are celebrating getting the monkey off their back.
“That was a big driver for them,” Harris said of her team’s desire to get past Monson. “We talked a lot about, ‘How did you feel last year when they were cheering at the end of that game? How can we change what that looks like this year?’ And, to be honest with you, when I came in, the first few games of pre-season, the girls told me, this is what their goal was, to win Western Mass.
“And, honestly, it’s all them. I can give them any kind of information or formation, but they’re the ones who do it out on the field. And they gave me everything. I’m so happy for them. I mean, it’s just unbelievable.”
